Bradley Cooper Plays Himself in Post-Oscars ‘Abbott Elementary’ Episode

Bradley Cooper left the 2024 Oscars empty-handed on Sunday, but the best actor nominee for Maestro got a moment to shine among the staff and students of one of TV’s biggest shows when he appeared on the episode of Abbott Elementary that immediately followed the ceremony.

Cooper, whose passion project Maestro was nominated for seven Academy Awards but won none, took a self-deprecating turn in the cameo as himself on ABC’s award-winning hit comedy. In the episode’s opening moments, the star of the biopic focusing on legendary composer Leonard Bernstein’s tormented personal life is seen at the titular school as the guest of a second-grader pal, Kaleel, but the class fails to recognize the star.

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“Oh, I just loved you in The Holdovers. It was just so heartwarming,” Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) tells Cooper, perhaps mistaking him for Paul Giamatti, who was also up for best actor for that movie this year. “It’s The Hangover and no it’s not,” Gregory (Tyler James Williams) says, correcting her about Cooper’s star-making hit, released 15 years ago.

“Guys, he’s literally in a critically acclaimed film right now,” Janine (Quinta Brunson) says, only for Melissa to refer to the big winner on Oscars night: “Mhm, Oppenheimer,” she replies.

“Is that the one about Napoleon?” asks Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis).

Cooper then interjects, telling the Abbott gang, “I wasn’t in Oppenheimer,” he says only for Ava (Janelle James) to question him on that, “Are you sure? Everybody was in Oppenheimer.”

Before this gentle ribbing by the writers of Abbott Elementary, Cooper, who also directed and produced Maestro as his second major feature, following up the smash hit A Star Is Born in 2018, then nodded to his Pennsylvania roots.

“Whenever I’m in Philly, you know the deli across the street? That’s my first stop,” he says. “My dad used to always take me there. They have the best hoagies in the city.”

Kaleel then says, “Everybody wanted to take a picture with him, so I figured he was famous.” Another student questions the actor’s Hollywood bona fides, asking “If you’re famous, are you in Spider–Man?” Cooper concedes that no, he isn’t in that franchise, but is Rocket Racoon in Guardians of the Galaxy. But doing the voice of the beloved Guardian doesn’t quite convince school custodian Mr. Johnson.

Cooper’s role on Sunday is unfortunately only a cameo, and the remainder of the sixth episode of the Emmy winner’s third season looks at whether the founder of Abbott Elementary Willard R. Abbott, was racist after it’s announced that the school is up for historical landmark status.

“Bradley was actually incredible,” creator-star Brunson told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement on Monday. “He had a hectic schedule, of course, but was as eager to make it work as we were. We talked about the best creative way to have him join us for a cold open. Since he’s a local [to Philly] it was easy to imagine he was visiting his favorite deli. Besides that, he was lovely on set. Super kind and cool to the cast, crew and kids. He walked down to meet the crew before it was even time for him to film. It was awesome, and it was a joy to act with him.”

When speaking recently to The Hollywood Reporter about Abbott‘s headline-making guest stars, co-showrunners Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker said Brunson gets pitched constantly by “very, very famous people wanting to be on the show,” but that a guest role has to make sense within the world of the Philly-set comedy.

“All of us are in agreement, and this comes down from Quinta, that if it can’t make sense in the context of what we’re treating as a real documentary about a real school in Philadelphia, then 95 percent of the people who want to be on the show and play themselves, like their real-life counterpart essentially, it doesn’t really make a ton of sense,” said Schumacker. “We don’t want to break that sort of precious truth that we’re trying to seek out with the show. That said, sometimes it’s very hard to resist.”

Abbott Elementary has been a breakout hit for ABC, garnering 15 Primetime Emmy Award nominations since it debuted in 2021, winning four including best lead actress in a comedy series for Brunson. It has also won three Golden Globe Awards, including for best musical or comedy series in 2023.

March 11, 1:30 p.m. Updated to include Brunson’s statement.

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